Water Heater Repair in Bismarck, ND
Tell us what your water heater is doing, and a licensed contractor who covers Burleigh County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Bismarck winters push your water heater harder
Groundwater coming into your house is already cold when it reaches the tank, and from December through February, with nights averaging 5°F, the burner or heating element has to work longer to bring it up to temperature. That extra runtime wears on the thermocouple and the heating element itself. When one starts to fail, you notice it as water that turns lukewarm partway through a shower or never gets hot at all.
Burleigh County has seen 27 winter storms and 96 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and statewide, 7% of households lost power for at least 24 hours in 2024. If your water heater is electric, an outage means no hot water until power comes back. Gas water heaters with a standing pilot keep working through an outage, but most electric models need someone to restart them once the power is back on.
- 5°F
- the average winter night, and colder incoming water means longer heating
- 9 months
- September through May, the months homes here need heat
- 7%
- of North Dakota households lost power for a day or more in 2024, and a heater with an electric element or electric ignition stops without it
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
A new water heater would cut about $50 a year off hot water for a typical North Dakota home.
Estimates for a typical North Dakota home, compared with an older unit built to the federal minimum, from EIA household energy data and North Dakota fuel prices. Your home will differ.
Repair makes sense when an element, thermostat or gas valve has failed.
Replacement makes sense when the tank itself is leaking.
- Why is my water heater leaking from the bottom?
- Most often the tank itself has rusted through from the inside and is starting to fail. Sediment builds up at the bottom of the tank over years, and once it wears through the steel, water finds its way out and there is no patching it. It can also be a loose drain valve or a fitting that has worked itself loose, which a contractor can tighten or replace without touching the tank. If the leak is coming from underneath the tank and not from a valve or pipe above it, plan on replacing the water heater.
- Why won't the pilot light on my water heater stay lit?
- This usually comes down to the thermocouple, the small sensor that sits in the pilot flame and tells the gas valve it is safe to keep the gas flowing. When it wears out or gets coated in soot, it stops sensing the flame correctly and shuts the gas off, even though the pilot lit just fine a minute earlier. A weak or dirty pilot orifice can cause the same problem. A contractor can test the thermocouple and replace it, which is a straightforward fix on most tanks.
- Can a tankless water heater be repaired?
- Yes, most problems with a tankless water heater are repairable. Mineral buildup on the heat exchanger is the most common issue, especially in hard water, and it's cleared with a descaling flush. Igniters, flow sensors, and exhaust vents can also fail on their own and be replaced without needing a new unit. A contractor can check the error code the unit displays, which usually points straight to the part causing the trouble.